Ethiopian Airlines, Africa’s largest air carrier, said everyone on board the flight was killed. The plane crashed six minutes after taking off from Addis Ababa en route to Nairobi.

More people died in the crash – 149 passengers and eight crew members – than those living in Atlaw’s village.

The debris from the accident is strewn across a farm that has now become the centre of global attention. Investigators from across the world have descended on Adadi, sifting through the crash site to identify the remains of the victims, who hailed from 35 countries.

Late on Monday afternoon, a white helicopter kicks up a bowl of dust before disappearing beyond the hills in the distance. At least five excavators are busy at work.

Heavily armed security officers are keeping an eye on the 100 or so spectators gathered near the scene, making sure no one trespasses, as emergency workers comb through the site holding transparent sample bags.

A flock of black and white crows hang in the thin air on the lookout for food.

Accident investigators from across the world have descended on the crash site [Hamza Mohamed/Al Jazeera]

“There are children among the dead because we saw their clothes,” says a 32-year-old operator of one of the excavators, who refuses to give his name because he is not authorised to speak to the media.

“What I saw will stay with me, until I die. It is too painful to even describe it,” he adds